New plugin question

[Paradox]

Because all of the tutorials here are being written from scratch, it's a habit to try to document as much information as possible about a subject, and to add to that as new features are enabled. Unfortunately, that again doesn't help users who are looking for clear and simple instructions.

[Trylon]

Any, the first age tutorial isn't aimed at people who start modeling for the first time.
Instead, it's aimed at people who are comfortable enough with blender to already do some modeling, and who are now actually trying to build an age, instead of a box or a plane.

Instead, the aim for the first age is to get people aquainted with the various components that make up a real age (with "wow"-factor) as soon as possible, so that in their own ages, they will be comfortable enough to experiment on their own with it.
And if their first age has that "wow"-factor, it will be more encouraging to go for something really good, than if they end up with just a plane.
I admit that it's a bit of a tradeoff... (I'd be willing to rename it to "First Real Age" though )

[andylegate]

Tell you what.....how about I make a First Room tutorial then? It'll be geared towards people that have some knowledge about Blender, but nothing at all about Age Creation, just to get them used to using some of the most basic things with Age Creation.

Here is why:

I've noticed a LOT of basic noob questions that seem to be on the rise. And I don't mean noob questions like I and some of the others ask because the new plugin threw us for a loop! heheh

What it is, is this: You have a lot of new people coming here, all excited about wanting to learn how to create their own Ages, and play with them.
I, unfortunately, have not helped with this, as I went around showing my Daytime and Night time Camp Bravo Ages to many people..........and, er...uhm.....they kinda got really excited when they found out that I only learned how to use Blender and start this stuff just under 2 months ago.

Okay, well, I a bit high on the learning curve......plus I had a lot of experience making maps for all the FPS games, so I had experience under my belt. Mostly it was just trying to learn how to use Blender that gave me a lot of heart ache.

The thing is, your average person will download Blender, and all the things needed for Age creation.....then, they either open up Blender and get dismayed and come here asking a lot of questions, or they go and start trying to learn Blender through the Noob to Pro tutorial for it (which SUCKS in my opinion, as it's geared for building models and rendering them for pics, than for trying to build enclosed structures that you'll be walking around in), and after a few of those tutorials, they get bored, or their enthusiasm makes them want to make an Age right away.

Now......uhm....hehe......that's kinda what I did. After getting familure with Blenders interface, I then looked through some of the other Blender tutorials, and the Instructor / Course Manager in me came out (not to mention the Engineer) and said "This SUCKS." I can learn better than this.

So, with a combo of Alcugs tutorials, and keeping my own goals simple: A room. Nothing more, with a link in point, some furniture, pictures to hang, lights to figure out....etc, I taught myself how to create an Age by doing my own little Room Age.

This allowed me to get even more easy with Blender's interface, and at the same time, I started learning how to use the plugin features. What I couldn't find, I came here and asked, and y'all gave me some great answers.
After that, it was just tweaking and stuff, to learn how to refine the room and make it look even better.

Once I felt good about it, I let others see it, and they were wowed.

Then I spent a week learning how to make terrain.......er sort of......I own a copy of Bryce 3d 5.5 and I make terrain in it all the time.......so making terrain was easy for me..

Getting it to look right in Blender was NOT! But, again, the Alcugs helped with that.

The whole point being that, by the time I was busy learning how to make terrain in Blender for an Age, I had already made one complete Age. Yes, it was only a room, but it had furniture I made, pics, columns, a rug, a Journal, etc. And I felt better because I had learned all that stuff, with something simple and small. Not some gigantic Age, with complex terrain.

And I didn't have to sit there and learn how to make a stupid doll in Blender.........instead, I was learning Blender, AND how to use the plugin for Age Creation all at once.

Just a thought anyways.

[Kato]

Then make your own First Room tutorial! The wiki is designed for you to edit and expand, and I think it's a great idea!

-Kato

[andylegate]

Okie Dokie.......I'll give it a whirl, see where it goes, and then let you bleed red all over it for my spelling errors!

[Trylon]

The first room idea sounds good andy.

Then people can start with the First Room, and if they feel ready to continure to an actual age, they can do the First Age tutorial.

[andylegate]

Okay, I've already started work on it, I've gotten to the point of making the floor already (and before that I've thrown in how to set up the Book, etc).

I'll make it comprehensive, and then give it to Kato to look over before we post it on the Wiki.

[Kato]

Sounds good. I think you're well suited to make one, as someone who's learned quickly.

-Kato

[Goofy]

ummm got another question. when upgrading an exsisting age(aloys shells) I kinda ran into an error after going through this http://guildofwriters.com/wiki/Updating_Ages Using the conversion wizard at the bottom of that page.

Heres the dos window up to the error.

Code: Select all

Compiled with Python version 2.5.
Checking for installed Python... got it!
Upgrading Book Settings
 Found Book on object xBook
[Property "SequencePrefix"]
[Property "StartDateTime"]
[Property "DayLength"]
[Property "MaxCapacity"]
[Property "LingerTime"]
 Found Page on object xPage-2
  Contents: {'hide': 0, 'type': 8, 'name': 'BuiltIn'}
 Found Page on object xPage428
  Contents: {'hide': 0, 'type': 0, 'name': 'Shell428'}
Object: 428COLFlr
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShlFlr"]
Object: 428Flr
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShlFlr"]
Created texture ShFlr.tga for object 428Flr
Object: 428FootStpFlr
 is mesh
 is type region
Object: 428FootStpFlr2
 is mesh
 is type region
Object: 428FootStpFlr3
 is mesh
 is type region
Object: 428FootStpStr
 is mesh
 is type region
Object: 428FootStpTop1
 is mesh
 is type region
Object: 428LitShFrnt
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShLight"]
Created texture LightSh1.tga for object 428LitShFrnt
Object: 428LitShFrnt1Lit
Object: 428LitShFrnt2Lit
Object: 428LitShSd1Lit
Object: 428LitShSd2Lit
Object: 428LitShSide
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShLight"]
Object: 428Number
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShNum"]
Created texture ShNumbers.tga for object 428Number
Object: 428ShCln
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShlWal"]
Created texture ShWal.tga for object 428ShCln
Object: 428ShReservedSign
 is mesh
 has material [Material "ShReservedSign"]
Created texture ShReservedSign.tga for object 428ShReservedSign
Object: 428ShReservedSignCOL
 is mesh
 is type collider
Object: 428SizeGuide
 is mesh
 has material [Material "DimensionsGuide"]
Object: 428Str
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShlStr"]
Created texture ShStr.tga for object 428Str
Object: 428StrCOL
 is mesh
 is type collider
Object: 428Top
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShlTop"]
Created texture ShTop.tga for object 428Top
Object: 428Wal
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShlWal"]
Object: Crn428
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatShlCrn"]
Created texture ShCrn.tga for object Crn428
Object: DummyHector.087
 is mesh
  Deleted 1 null materials
Created material DummyHectomCCB867 for object DummyHector.087
Object: SdW.059
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatSdw"]
Created texture StSdw.tga for object SdW.059
Object: StWal.114
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatStrWal"]
Created texture StWal.tga for object StWal.114
Object: StWal.409
 is mesh
 has material [Material "MatStrWalTop"]
Created texture StWalTop.tga for object StWal.409
Object: xBook
 is mesh
 is type book
Object: xPage-2
 is mesh
 is type page
Object: xPage428
 is mesh
 is type page
Added 1 materials and 11 textures.
Object: 428COLFlr
[Property "alctype"]
[Property "col_type"]
[Property "mass"]
[Property "col_flags0"]
[Property "col_flags1"]
[Property "col_flags2"]
[Property "col_flags3"]
[Property "col_flags4"]
[Property "col_flags5"]
Object: 428Flr
[Property "alctype"]
[Property "col_type"]
[Property "mass"]
[Property "col_flags0"]
[Property "col_flags1"]
[Property "col_flags2"]
[Property "col_flags3"]
[Property "col_flags4"]
[Property "col_flags5"]
Object: 428FootStpFlr
[Property "alctype"]
[Property "prpregion"]
[Property "col_type"]
[Property "footstepsound"]
Object: 428FootStpFlr2
[Property "alctype"]
[Property "prpregion"]
[Property "col_type"]
[Property "footstepsound"]
Object: 428FootStpFlr3
[Property "alctype"]
[Property "prpregion"]
[Property "col_type"]
[Property "footstepsound"]
Object: 428FootStpStr
[Property "alctype"]
[Property "prpregion"]
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 97, in <module>
  File "<string>", line 87, in do_main
  File "C:\Program Files\Blender Foundation\Blender\.blender\scripts\alc_Wizards
.py", line 487, in Wizard_property_update
    footstepsound = int(p.getData())
ValueError: invalid literal for int() with base 10: '0B'


thats where it stopped. Kinda stuck there. opps didnt see roberts advice at the bottom.

[Nadnerb]

Looks like there was a Hex number ("0B") in your footstep sound field, and the converter was expecting a base 10 int.. Find the footstepsound property, and change the property type to an int. Then set it to 11 and you should be good.